Annunciator apparatus.



M. B. MILLS.

ANNUNGIATOR. APPARATUS.

APPLICATION FILED FEB. 17, 1912.

Patented May 28, 1912.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

M. B. MILLS.

ANNUNGIATOR APPARATUS.

APPLICATION FILED FEB.17, 1912. 1,027,749. Patented May 28, 1912.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

K A M m M. B. MILLS.

ANNUNGIATOR APPARATUS.

APPLICATION FILED 113.17, 1912.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 3.

M P PM"% I AN :5f-m1.- mm

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UNTTED sTATEsy PATENT oEEicE.

MOBTIMER B.VMILLs, or CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, A ssIGNoR To H. s. MLLLS, 0EOAK PARK,

ILLINOIS.

ANNUNCLATOR APPARATUS.

whichV the following is a specilication. The object of my invention 1sto provlde a construction of annunciator to coperate with adelivery-device for checks, or-.the like, under the control of'theoperator, and cause operation of the delivery-device to display theamount to be' paid, yor value, de-A noted on orrby the check.

In the accompanying'drawings, Figurel shows my improved'inachine by av1ew 1n vertical sectional elevation,`the section being .taken on line1, Fig. 2; Fig. 2 is a section on the irregular line 2, Fig. 1 or Fig.3; Fig. 3 is a section on the irregular line 5*, Flg. 1, and Fig. 4 is asection on line it, F 1g. 3.. 4

The entire mechanism= is contained-1n'- a suitable casing 5 shown'to beprovided with a lock-equipped hinged lid 6 for convenient access to theinterior, as lfor filling maga-.

zines 7 with stacks of `checks 8, shown in the form of disks.v VThemagazines, of which three are shown, all being alike, though the number-may be any desired, are suspended at arms 9 on their upper ends, tohang plvlotally from a 'rod 10 extending across the upper part of thecasing near its upper end,

and 'thus be adapted to'be swung on their support lfor effecting, byswinging a magazine, delivery from it, as hereinafter de'- scribed,through a lateral frontvdlscharge slot 11 at its lower closed end into acup -12 formed or provided in the ledge-portion of thel casing; themagazine also containinga rear slot-111 in line with the vslot 11.

Spring-retractedv push-rods 15, one for each magazine, are reciprocablysupported.

near their'outer ends in the front wall of the ledge-portion 13 of thecasing and at their inner ends in a wall 16 rising in the casing fromits base and having bent fingers 17 extending from its upper edge toregister, each, with a slot 111 in a different vmagazine, carrying astud.18 engaged by the `bifurcated end of a curved armv 19 extendingupwardly-from the'respective rod 15, whereby pushing the latter inwardlywill swing the magazine in a backward direction to enter the finger' 17in the path of a slot l11 into the latter to force the lowermostSpecification of Letters Patent.

`rlaterally-displacing movement.

Patented May 2s, 1912.

Application led February 17, 191-2. Serial No.- 678,414.

zine to normal position.

A particular use to which my apparatus is advantageously applicable asan annunciator, and one 1n connection with which my invent-ion may bemost readily explained would be in a barber-shop, where the barber,after serving a customer, ordinarily hands him a check marked with theamount due for, the service (say 15 c ents for a shave, 25 cents forahair-cut, or 40 cents for both shave-and hair-cut) and which he 'takesto the cashier and pays. The annunciator enables the cashier, byglancing at it from the cashiers desk, to verlfy vthe correspondence ofthe amount represented by the annuncia-- tor with that displayed by thecheck,-as the result of the operation Vto produce .delivery of thatcheck.

. A bank of levers, 21, 22 and 23, corresponding with the number ofpush-rods', extends transversely across and over the latter from the'fulcrum-point of the levers, at 24, within the bottom part of thecasing at its front side; and the levers are supported at their innerends to work in horizontal guides 25 formed between a pair of' parallelposts 26, adjacent to one of which rises from the casing-base a stop-rod27 to ,extend across the bank'or` levers and limit their extent of Aspring 28 (Fig. 2) bears, in opposition to the stop 27, againstthe innerside of each lever adjacent to its fulcrum; and each lever terminates at'its inner end, beyond the bank lof guides 25, in a laterally -a-ndforwardly projecting tongue 29, shown slightly curved. A lstud 151'rises `from one pushrod, but is onlylo'ng enough to engage the lowermostlever 21 by pressing that pushincreasing distances from the bank oflevers in the direction toward the fulcrum v24, to produce the saineextent of movement' of the lever or levers, whichever push-rod 'therespective push-rods at progressivelycontaining a vertical slot 34, isfulcrumed a bell-crank, 35 having one, deflected, arm terminating in acurved head 36 toextend normally underneath the tongue 29 of thelowermost lever 21 the bell-crank having a tail-piece 37 project-ingfrom'the opposite side' of its fulcrum across the slot 34. The other armof the bell-crank has fulcrumed to it a lever 38 connected by arelativelyweak spring 39 with a side of the casing, and by arelatively-stiff spring 40 with a stud 41 on the bell-crank near theleverfulcrum. The lever 38 terminates at its upper end in alaterally-extending arm 381, shown to be provided on its display-facewith the numerals 1.5, 25 and 40, properly spaced apart. This -lever-armis movable across an annunciator-opening 43 provided in suitableposition in the face of the casing, there to display one or the otherof. the aforesaid numerals according to the extent of turning on its.fulcrum the lever 38, as hereinafter described.

- From the front of the casing project horizontally two stop-rods `44,44, between which extends a handle 45 onV a springpressed rock-shaft 46journaled to extend in the casing across its base and-past the bearing33, adjacent to which it carries a cam 47 to engage a lever 48 passingat .its free end through the slot 34 from its ulcrum at 49, for engagingthe tail-piece 37 to return the lever 38 and bell-crank 35 tonormalposition after each operation of the machine, described as follows :l

To effect the delivery of a check of any denomination from a magazine,the proper push-rod is pressed. Thus, by pressing the rod controllingdelivery from the maga-` zine containing the stack of 15-ce`nt checks,the arm 19 on that rod is actuated to swing backwardly the magazineengaged by it and cause the respective nger 17 to pushV a check from thebottom of thestack into the cup 12.' By this movement of that push-rod,its stud 151 encounters only the lowermost lever 21 in its path, turningit on its uli cru'm to take the tongue 29 on its inner end out of theway of obstructing the head 36 against rising. Thereupon thespring 39turns the lever 38 to' raise the head 36 until it strikes and is thusarrested by the nexthigher finger 29,v and that extent of movement ofthe lever is sufcient to carry the arm 381 thereon to a positionYrelative to the opening 43 to register therewith and display through itthe numeral 15, corresponding with the denomination of the deliveredcheck. By then turning the rock-shaft 46 lto encounter the cam thereonwith the lever -48, the rise of the latter against the tail- `piece 37turns the bell-crank to withdraw the arm 381'to normal position, andlikefrom the proper magazine, its stud 152 will actuate both levers 21and 22 in the manner described, to'enable the head 36 to rise until itstrikes the uppermost linger 29 and consequently -permit turning of thelever 38 far enough to display the numeral 25 at` the opening '43; andif Athepush-rod carrying the stud 153 be used 'to effecty acheck-delivery from the40-cent magazine, that stud will turnvthe threelevers 21, 22 and 23 to divert all the tongues 29 from obstructing thehead4 36 and permit it to be raised by the spring 3 9 until arrested byencountering the stop31. In each instance oi operation, turning the.shaft 46 will, obviously, return theparts of the annunciator-mechanismto normal condition.

The stop 32 arrests'the lever 38 against lundue extent ofY movement inthe direction toward it. The purpose of the relatively- ,strong spring40 for connecting the lever38 with the bell-crank35, instead offo'rmingit `integral therewith, is` to 'absorb shock.

Thus, if the-head 36 be operated to. rise against the stop 31, themomentum of the head would tend to carry the lever-arm 381 unduly farrelative to the opening 43, and

jar the mechanism; whereas, in the event of such encounter, the spring40 will tend to absorb the shock and will retract the leverarm 381 toproper registration of the intended number on it to be displayed, fromthe undue distance-it may have been carried by momentum past theannunciator-opening.

What Iclaim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is- 1.In.anannunciator-apparatus, the combination with a casing provided witha display-opening, of a bell-crank having a stophead on one arm, aspring-actuated lever having a laterally-extending arm bearing a seriesof annunciating characters on its display-face, said lever beingfulcrumed to the bell-crank to be turned for moving said arm', by theforce of said spring, across said opening, a relatively-stiff sprlngconnecting the lever with the bell-crank to cause them to turn normallytogether, means releasably engaging said head to normally lock thebellcrank .against the force of said actuating spring, and means forrestoring said bellcrank to normal position, for the purpose set forth.

2. In an annunciator-apparatus, the combination with a casing providedwith Va display-opening, of a bell-crank havin a stophead and atail-piece on opposite en s of one arm and a spring-actuated lever onits other arm provided with a laterally-extending arm bearing a seriesof annunciating characters on its display-face, a slotted bearing towhich the bell-crank is ulcrumed to be turned by the forceof said springto move said lever-arm across-said opening, a levell projecting at itsfree end through the slot in said bearing, a spring-retracted rock-shaftcarrying an operating handle and a cam toA coperate with said last-namedlever, and means releasably engaging said head to normally lock thebell-crank against the force of said actuating spring, for the purposeset forth.

In an annunciator-apparatus,'the conibination with a casing containing adisplayopening, of a spring-actuated lever having an arm bearing aseries of annunciating vcharacters on its display-face, said lever beinulcrumed to be turned by the force ot said spring to -move said armacross said characters on its display-face, said lever being fulcrumedto be turned by the force of said spring to move said arm across saidopening, a stop-arm connected e with said lever to turn therewith, avertical series of spring-pressed levers 'extending at one end into-thepath of said head, a stationary stop in said path above said leverseries, and means for turning at Will any number ot' the levers of saidseries, for the purpose set forth.

5. In an annunciator-apparatus, the combination with a casing containinga displayopening, of a spring-actuated lever. having au arm bearing aseries of annunciating characters' on its display-face, said lever beingfulcrumed to be turned by the force of said spring to move said arm'across said opening, a stop-head connected with said lever to turntherewith, a vertical series of springpressed levers extending at oneend into the path of said head, a series of push-rods, one for eachlever in said series, and studspro- 'jecting from the push-rods acrosssaid levers for turning them out of said path by operating said rods,the stud on one rod being of a. length to engage only the lovverniostlever in said series, and the studs increasing in length e on the otherpush-rods to adapt them to engage progressively -increasing numbers ofsaid levers,'for the purpose set forth.

MORTIMER B, MILLS. In presence of- A. U. THoR'mN, R. A. SCHAEFER.

